BE, DON'T JUST DO, IN 2009

Ever wonder why some of your best intentions don't come to pass? Why you struggle to do some of the things that you know that you should be doing? Or why you start off well and then a few months down the line find yourself repeating old habits? 

These questions are particularly pertinent as we approach the new year, a time when many of us resolve to make changes and do things differently. 

We live in a culture that is built on doing, achieving and striving... and many of us mistakenly believe that success comes from our external actions. 

"Just do it", says Nike. That philosophy of 'just doing it' seems to make sense, but it is also flawed. It's flawed because it doesn't take into account the fact that all actions come first from thought. It is your thoughts that determine your actions. Therefore, the place where the bulk of your efforts should go in attempting to make changes in 2009 is towards working on your mind and your thought process. "Just doing it" will then be effortless. 

The reason why many of us resolve to change, make some progress and then fall back into old habits is simply because we direct our energy towards the least effective place: towards the external rather than the internal. 

Everything begins with a thought, so if you can condition your mind to think thoughts of abundance, health, happiness, love, peace and so on that is exactly what you will have. There will also be no struggle as your external world will directly mirror the renewed thoughts from your internal world. 

Don't buy into the false notion that having or doing something is what positively or negatively influences your internal state. This is not true and is the recipe to unhappiness. The way that life works is that we ARE first and we DO second - not the other way around. If your actions are in conflict with what's in your mind, you will not see the results that you want. 

This also means that where something hasn't gone the way we wanted in 2008 we can ask ourselves what we've been thinking and feeling to have produced the effects that we have manifested.

So, as we move into 2009 and set our resolutions maybe rather than talking about all of the things we're going to do, we should focus on working on our thoughts and feelings? That's what I'm gonna be doing anyway... Happy New Year

The Best Is Yet To Come

"We must pour some out in order to get more in" - Lola Adesioye

Loss is always hard. We look back and we wonder what went wrong, what we could have done differently, why things happened the way they did. We grieve for what we will no longer have. This is, of course, only natural.

What's hardest in the midst of loss, and takes time to reach, is the space where you look at the benefits of that loss. Because with loss also comes opportunity. An opportunity to learn, an opportunity to do better next time, an opportunity to celebrate what you had and use it for good in the future, an opportunity for you to welcome something even greater into your life.

Maybe loss is telling us that the best is yet to come. Things pass and times change but that does not mean that life itself is over. Just as the leaves fall from the tree and the branches are bare for some time, the green leaves will appear again during the right season.

Without loss, where is our gain? Sometimes we have to let something go in order to make way for more.

In the middle of it, it's hard to see that there is much good in where you are. It's hard to see that there is good to come. Loss hurts and the pain can overwhelm you. But there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. Once you deal with your grief, you will realize that your best is yet to come.

This is one of my favourite quotes ever...

Marianne Williamson on being fearless:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

"Only when we are no longer afraid do we begin to live" - Dorothy Thompson

Who would you be if you had no fear? How would you live? What would you do?

Many of us live below our potential, wishing that we could have, be and do more. We watch successful people and ask ourselves how they got to be where they are while we live in quiet desperation. It's not because we don't possess the talent or ability, but because we are afraid to be all that we can be. Often, the only difference between those who are living their dreams and those who aren't is taking action and stepping out without, or inspite of, one's fears.

Maybe you are too afraid to believe you can be or do more, or maybe you're too afraid to even dream of the possibilities. Maybe you think that if you tried, you would fall down. Or maybe you aren't sure if you could handle success and all that comes with it. Call it lack of self belief, low self esteem or insecurity, the fact is that these feelings all have their origins in fear.

I've talked about fear before in other posts. I'm sure I don't need to tell you again that fear is life's natural killer: it kills your dreams, your visions and ambitions. Ultimately it shrivels up your spirit and confines you.

How about making "fearless" your motto for 2008 ? Imagine yourself totally free: free from limiting beliefs, free from negative mental chatter, free from insecurity... Most importantly, imagine yourself free to do whatever you choose without restriction. How liberating!

As you go through this year, ask yourself the following question: "what would I do today if I had no fear?". Then get to doing it! You'll be amazed at the results and suprised at just how capable you are.

Don't let fear hold you back in 2008. Shrug it off and be all that you can be!

"Ultimately we know deeply that the other side of every fear is a freedom." - Marilyn Ferguson

How Has This Year Been For You?

I'm happy to say that 2007 has been a good year for me...It hasn't been without its tests, but overall it has been an extremely positive year. For others I know, however, it has not been such a great year... Illness, bereavement and financial difficulties are just some of the things that have marked some lives this year.

Whether your year has been "good" or "bad", I sincerely believe that there is always something to be thankful for. It's especially important when things are not going well to look for the glimmer of hope, that something to be grateful for, such as the opportunity to start again, supportive friends or good health. No matter your current circumstances, remember that there is a bigger picture and good times will come again.

The older I get, the more I believe that our main purpose during our lifetime is to learn and grow. It can be hard to accept that, often, our greatest learning comes from our toughest trials. But as long as you "fail forward", using those challenges to step further into your greatness, you have succeeded and will be ok.

There will always be hard times. There will always be challenges and difficulties... but in every lesson, there is a blessing.

I will look back at this year and give thanks for all that I have learnt. I will give thanks for the hard times because they have made me stronger and have challenged me to become more of myself. I will of course give thanks for the enjoyment and fun I had during the good times - and look forward to more of those next year.

All in all I will just be saying a great big THANK YOU to the universe. I hope you too will do the same. Happy New Year!

I leave you with these words:

Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire. If you did, what would there be to look forward to?

Be thankful when you don't know something, for it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times. During those times you grow.

Be thankful for your limitations, because they give you opportunities for improvement.

Be thankful for each new challenge, because it will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes. They will teach you valuable lessons.

Be thankful when you're tired and weary, because it means you've made a difference.

It's easy to be thankful for the good things. A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are also thankful for the setbacks.

Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive. Find a way to be thankful for your troubles, and they can become your blessings.

He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.-- Epictetus

Today is Thanksgiving Day in America, a day in which the main priority is to give thanks for all of our life's blessings.

In our fast-paced, modern, materialistic, consumerist society we are encouraged to focus on what we don't have. It's easy to look only at what we desire, what's missing and what we want to buy/have/do next. At the same time we overlook and miss out on the countless blessings that are already present in our lives.

If you live in the West you are richer than 90% of people in the rest of the world. Take that in. You are in the richest top percentage of people in the entire world. You don't have to be Bill Gates or Oprah Winfrey to be 'rich' - things that we take for granted such as access to clean water, sanitation, electricity, healthcare and clothing are evidence of our wealth. We forget that many millions of people do not even have what we consider to be 'basics'.

As I think about what I have in my life, I'm realize that I could spend days, probably even weeks, giving thanks for them. Access to information, education, opportunities, ideas, good health, friendships, support, family, a comfortable place to live, a bed, a hot shower every day on-demand, good food, good mental health, clean and safe water - the list is endless. Being alive is of course probably the greatest of them all.

So for today - even if you aren't American - take some time to reflect and give thanks for your countless blessings. There is a gift in everything - even being able to read this blog is one of them.

Napoleon Hill said, "There is a difference between wishing for a thing and being ready to receive it." No one is ready for a thing until they believe they can acquire it. Before anything can come to us, we have to envision it and believe that it is ours. - Darren Meade, author

At this time you may be wishing for something: more money, a great relationship, a better job. But are you truly open to, and ready for, receiving what it is you desire?

When something is going well, do you feel fully content and believe that you deserve it - or does a voice in your head say "this is too good to be true"? Are you expectant of more good to come - or do you, deep down, anticipate your 'luck' running out, believing that 'all good things come to an end'?

If you answered yes to the latter, there is part of you that is blocking the great things that the universe wants to bring your way. Maybe you believe you're not worthy of goodness, or you have come to believe that there's not enough to go around. Whatever it is, it's important for you to know that good things are not in short supply. In fact, happiness, love, peace, success and growth (to name a few) are infinite and always available to us. All that is required of you is to be fully open - both consciously and subconsciously - to receiving them.

Sometimes our fears about losing something that feels good or having our luck run out are as a result of being unsure about how to manifest it again - or even how it came about in the first place. We believe that good things are fleeting, out of our reach, or random. We'd feel very differently if we knew that our innermost beliefs and thoughts have much to do with what we manifest. The law of attraction states that we attract that which we think about most. This means that if you believe deep down that you can't have what you want, that's what you'll see in your life - even if, on the surface, you wish for more.

It is important that you become fully aware and conscious of your deepest thoughts so that your conscious wishes and desires are in alignment with your subconscious beliefs. If, for example, you say you want to meet the man of your dreams, but subconsciously you believe that all men are dogs it is likely that you will not meet the man of your dreams. What you see in your life is a reflection of what is within your subconscious.

Is there something you want, but are struggling to get? Today, I encourage you to look inside yourself and see if there is anything deep within that may be blocking your joy. The question is not whether or not what you want exists, but whether or not you are attracting or repelling it with your deepest thoughts and beliefs. Before you can have it, you must believe it with every part of yourself.